Omen of a Bluebell

Bella puts up a token fuss, but never actually pulls away. Instead, she lets herself be pulled along all while airing her every grievance, often at my expense.

I let her complaints go in one ear and out the other. I’m sure that she’d have done more than whinge if she really wanted for us to go our separate ways, so I don’t mind it.

I want to ask her a bunch of questions, but I figure they can wait until we get rooms with an inn or something. Mainly I just want to know why she’s alone. It doesn’t make sense to me that a nation would let their royalty roam lonesome.

Maybe she ran away?

The thought brings with it a familiar storybook. In the story, the princess was in love with a knight, but her betrothal was already decided… or something like that. I just remember that the princess ran away to be with the knight. And the title being excruciatingly on point.

I eye Bella curiously. She’d gone silent after a couple of minutes of walking, opting to instead look around. She doesn’t seem like she’s pining for anyone. Or missing anyone at all, really.

So… probably not that?

She catches me looking and narrows her eyes. “What is it now?”

A smirk finds its way to my face, and I say honestly, “I was just wondering if you ran away from home because of a forbidden love.”

Her glare intensifies, but there is a noticeable flush to her cheeks. To be fair, she’s been a bit flushed ever since we started walking, but I find it funnier to attribute it to my comment.

So I do.

“Oh? That flush in your cheeks says I might be right…” I drawl.

She scoffs. “You truly have nothing better to occupy your thoughts than fairy tales and nonsense?”

“Fairy tales and nonsense are how I got to where I am now!” I say, purposefully chipper. Then I pause for a moment. “Wait, you read Knight’s Embrace too?!”

This time, her face really does turn a brighter shade of red.

“Oh my gods, you did! Do you read a lot? What kinds of stories? Which one’s your favorite?” I rattle off my questions one after the other, genuinely excited to have someone who might like reading as much as I do.

Her chin lifts a fraction, smug in her composure. “If you must know, I found the story childish. I prefer works such as The Carabea and Thistle. Something with substance.”

I've never heard that title in my life, but no way in hells I'm not going to play along.

I gasp theatrically. “Substance?! Then you’ve probably read The Duke’s Midnight Confession! You have, right? You totally have.”

Bella stiffens like I just accused her of murder. “I have not.”

Her ears are as red as her hair now, and I have to bite down a laugh. “Ohhh, but you know the name! Which means you’ve at least heard of it.”

She pulls her hand from mine and folds her arms, looking down her nose at me. “It is notorious, not noteworthy.”

“Uh-huh.” My grin widens. “So you didn’t secretly stay up late under the covers, hanging on every page as the scandalous Duke poured his heart out to his Lady’s brother—”

“That is enough,” she snaps, but her indignation is betrayed when she looks away, her flush deepening by the second.

For a while, we continue like that, and when things calm down enough we end up hand in hand again out of necessity. The crowd on the stairs is... a lot.

While it’s definitely fun to needle her, I have more fun just talking to her about the books I’ve read over the years. For me, they were an escape from my reality—something I enjoyed to keep myself from giving up.

Cari never had an interest in stories like I did, and neither does Krissy or Nyria. Meanwhile, Bella seems genuinely invested, and even manages to offer up some titles I’ve never heard of between her verbal jabs about my taste in books.

By the time we reach the bottom of the stairs, she’s opened up enough to talk about the more... explicit stories we’ve read. Not enough to go into much detail, but still.

Progress!

Stepping into the undercity proper is like stepping into a Dungeon. It’s almost as if it’s an entirely different world, the cloying warmth of countless bodies pressing in on us from all directions. A swarm of people, including many Delvers aiming to climb the stairs we just descended, fill the space.

Half again as many stalls hawk their wares to them as they pass. Several try to entice Bella and I directly, and I’m nearly tempted off of my path at the sight of one in particular. The scent of heavily seasoned meat on skewers seems to explode from a stall, overpowering the hubbub.

The vendor is a man caught in a whirlwind of activity, sweat pooling at his brow as he practically sprints between the rotating grill and his counter.

Despite the hustle and bustle, and the massive queue of people waiting to purchase his food, he somehow spots me peeking in from the crowd and beckons me over with barely contained enthusiasm. I take a half step over, drool threatening to spill, when Bella forcibly pulls me away through the crowd.

“W-wait, Bella, it smelled so good! Come on, just a little? We’re not in a rush right?” I whine, looking longingly back at the stall.

“Why you… ugh, never mind that. Look, you can see the train station up ahead a ways. Don’t you want to leave your message as soon as possible? Just in case?” she coaxes.

My ears and tail droop. “Fine, yeah, I guess. But we’re coming back to that stall later.”

“Yes, yes, let’s just get this over with.”

I beam at her.

“What now?” she huffs.

“You’re not faking being upset at the idea of tagging along anymore,” I say, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Flustered, she snaps, “I was not faking! You won’t let me go about my own business anyway, so why bother.”

“If you say so." I swish my tail happily as she visibly struggles to hold herself back from another verbal tirade, then stop the moment I accidentally brush it against a passing stranger.

One benefit of the crowd steadily pressing in on us is that she doesn’t seem to want to draw attention to herself.

The downside is that I have to keep tucking my tail tight to my legs, every accidental brush sparking that gnawing urge to groom. It’s maddening, but better than stopping every few feet.

It takes nearly half an hour to make our way to the train station, though I still can’t see much of it over the heads of everyone around me. On a whim, I jump into the air. Just high enough to see the train station in its full glory.

Nearly thirty trains are lined up in parallel, filling the entire space. Two broad concourses stretch the length of the station like raised avenues suspended above the tracks. From them, wide staircases spill down to the walkways that run alongside each train, guiding disembarking passengers and station workers alike with ease.

Near every stairwell I spot either heavy lifts or enchanted floating platforms bearing crates, luggage, and entire pallets of goods up into waiting hands before vanishing into the bustle.

The mana in the air is what really blows me away though. Before, when I first saw the train leaving Bephis, I thought the river of mana around it was gorgeous.

With thirty of them side by side, it’s almost terrifying. The mana isn’t a river here—it’s a torrent. Each individual river of mana seems to combine, growing in strength as they pull on the ambient mana around them.

Even as nerve-wracking as it is, it’s still one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

“Why must you embarrass me at every opportunity?” Bella groans, snapping me out of my reverie.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You are so…” she starts, then just sighs and shakes her head. “As a lady, I had hoped you would be capable of at least some decorum, but you seem hells-bent on proving otherwise.”

I sidle up closer to peer at her. “You do know I’m a beastkin, right?”

Beastkin are notorious for being… let’s just say ‘indifferent’ to the other races sensibilities. I’m not special in that regard. While I was mostly raised in human lands, my true nature could never be overwritten.

Even when I was Faulted and went out of my way to avoid attention, I never held back in private with Cari. Now that I'm not Faulted or so weak that someone could kill me with a slap, I have no reason to suppress myself.

Honestly, this all makes me wonder for a moment what unique social traits the Arcanthir might have, if any.

“Wha—of course I know! Why are you asking that? And must you be so close?” she flushes, pulling her head back.

I shrug. “Decorum is for people who care.”

“And you don’t?” she asks, then pauses. “Never mind. Of course you don’t.”

She trails off into a fit of grumbling, but I pay it no mind. After a bit of squeezing and shoulder bumping, we finally join one of the many queues lined up before a squadron of desks.

Clerks shuffle papers and exchange names with brisk efficiency, their voices carrying over the din but never lingering on any one traveler for too long. Overhead, glowing boards of shifting script ripple with constant updates on departures and arrivals, letters reforming themselves in midair with a faint hum of mana.

The lines are blessedly quick, each person ushered through with a curt nod before being waved aside to make room for the next. In less than ten minutes, it’s our turn.

“Names and purpose?” the clerk asks briskly, only taking a moment to glance at us before returning to his paperwork.

“Emilia, I need to leave a message for someone who will arrive in a day or two,” I respond quickly, the hustle and bustle of the place urging me to do my part in maintaining its efficiency.

He shifts a stack of papers to the side and pulls another out before looking up to me. “Which train?”

“The one coming from Bephis.”

He nods, splitting the stack of papers into a few new piles and focusing on one before asking, “Do you know the specific departure time?”

“Uh… the second of Auren, early morning.”

He seems satisfied at that, quickly shuffling through the now much thinner stack of papers before stopping on one with a mumbled ‘Ah, there you are’.

Then he returns his gaze to me. “What message would you like to leave, and who is it for?”

“It’s for Cari, Krissy, and Nyria, and… uh…” I trail off, suddenly realizing I have no idea what to tell them.

I hadn’t decided on a place to meet.

Bella seems to catch on though, and quickly answers for me.

“Please tell them that Emilia will be staying at the Tylean Leaf Inn and looks forward to seeing them there at their earliest convenience,” she says smoothly.

I stare at her for a second in surprise, then realize the clerk is waiting for me. “Ah, yeah, that.”

“Very well,” he says, scribbling the message down on a note. “That will be five gold.”

I choke at the price. “S-sorry, what? Five gold?!”

The clerk blinks at me like I just asked if water is wet. “Yes, ma’am.”

“For a message?”

I can’t help but grouse a little, given the absurdity. I bought a magical notepad that could send unlimited messages for eight gold. But here he is, asking for five just to send a one.

Even if I consider the fact that I could only use the notepad once a week, it was still a significantly better deal than whatever the hells this is.

What kind of ass-backwards—oh, whatever! I have money.

Before he can respond to my complaint, I pull five gold from my Starlight Bangle and slap it onto the desk with a frown. His smile repairs itself, and he tucks the coins away into a drawer behind him.

After shuffling a few more papers, he hands me a small paper receipt. “All done. If we are unable to locate them when they disembark for any reason, we’ll send a courier to the Tylean Leaf Inn to inform you. Should this happen, half of the fee will also be refunded to you. Have a wonderful day.”

He quickly waves us off and Bella guides me to the side, out of the way of the next person. For a moment, I just look forlornly at the receipt in my hands. Near the bottom, it has a simple ‘5g’ written, alongside a few runes and symbols for some kind of authentication.

After another short while, I store the paper away and sigh. I still have over eighty gold to my name, but if just a message is this expensive, I’m going to have to start delving again sooner rather than later.

Unless there are less expenses at the school, which… well, I was offered a full sponsorship, so maybe I wouldn’t have to worry. Still, I can’t help but feel a little down about my sudden loss.

“Why are you making such a fuss over a measly five gold? You act as if you’ve been robbed!” Bella scoffs.

“Maybe to you it’s not much,” I bark, “but I’ve spend my whole life as a Faulted orphan barely scraping by. So even one gold is pretty insane to me. That’s enough to eat like a queen for a month with ease.”

I drag my free hand down my face with a groan. “And I just spent it five times over for a gods-damned letter.”

She stares at me with a look of abject shock on her face. I just grunt.

“What? Surprised that gold actually has value to some of us?” I ask derisively.

I almost instantly regret the comment, and quickly start to apologize. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that. I just meant—”

“You were Faulted?”

Her question cuts through my rambling apology like a knife, and I pale at the sound of her voice.

She asks it in a whisper, as if even voicing the question is somehow taboo.

Like she shouldn’t even be speaking the word, much less talking to someone about it.

Oh… right.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!